Heat ¼ cup of the oil in large skillet over medium heat. Drop the raisins in the oil and remove as soon as they plump (just a few seconds). Drain on paper towel and reserve.

Add 2 more tablespoons of oil to the same skillet. Add chicken and brown on all sides. Reserve.

Add remaining oil to skillet. Add the onion paste and cook until lightly browned, stirring constantly (5 minutes). If the mixture starts sticking to the pan, add a little water.

Add plain yogurt to the pan slowly and whisk vigorously to blend. Add the chicken and accumulated juices with ½ cup water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 20 minutes.

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Add the spices, salt and pepper to the chicken and simmer another 5 minutes. Remove from heat and cut chicken into bite size pieces.

In a large stockpot, boil 4 quarts of water. Drain the rice and add slowly to boiling water. Cook for 6 minutes and drain immediately.

Spread 1/3 of the rice on the bottom of a casserole dish. Cover with half the chicken mixture; add another layer of rice. Spread rest of chicken and top with remaining rice. Drizzle the reserved cream or milk over the top. Cover tightly with foil and bake for 25 minutes.

Soak cashewnuts in half a cup of water for fifteen minutes. Drain and grind to a paste. Parboil rice in three cups of water with a little salt. When rice is half done drain water completely and spread rice in a big flat plate.

Heat sufficient oil in a kadai and deepfry sliced onions till brown and crisp. Drain onto an absorbent paper and keep aside. In the same oil add peppercorns, green chillies and coriander leaves.

Sprinkle saffron and milk mixture over the rice and divide into seven parts. Divide the browned onions and prawns with masala into three parts each. At the bottom of a large vessel place slices of raw potatoes. This is to keep the rice from sticking to the bottom. Spread a layer of rice over the raw potato slices. Then spread a layer of prawns and onions over the rice. Continue the layering process as follows: rice, onion, rice, prawns and so on till you end with a final layer of rice.

Make four holes on the topmost layer of rice and pour one tablespoon of ghee into each hole. Cover with a tight fitting lid and seal the edges with whole wheat flour dough. Cook low heat for about one hour or till the seal breaks and steam comes out. Then take off it the heat.

The emission of the steam is an indication that the dish is ready.

Serve hot.

VEGETABLE BIRYANI (SPICY VEGETABLE RICE)

INGREDIENTS:

3 cups Basmati Rice (pre-soaked for atleast 30 minutes and washed well with a few changes of water)

Vegetables (any of your preferance - chopped in 1" pieces)

2 medium to large Onions (thinly sliced)

5 Green Chillies (more or less may be used depending on spice preferance)

Fried Cashewnuts (Kaaju) (optional)

A bunch of Fresh Coriander/Cilantro Leaves (Hara Dhania) (chopped)

A bunch of Fresh Mint Leaves (Podina)

5 Cloves (Loung)

2 Cinnamon Sticks (Dal Cheeni)

4 Bay Leaves (Tezz Pattay)

5 Small Cardamoms (Choti Sufaid Ilaichi)

5 strands Saffron (Zafran)

2 tsp. Garlic Paste (Pisa Lehsan)

2 tsp. Ginger Paste (Pisi Adrak)

1 tsp. Red Chilli Powder (Pisi Lal Mirch) (more or less may be used depending on spice preferance)

Salt (to taste)

2 tsp. Tomato Ketchup

1 cup of Coconut Milk

1 cup of Thick Curd

4 tbsp. Clarified Butter (Ghee) or Cooking Oil

METHOD:

1.Wash the basmati rice well before cooking.Then take rice with 3-3/4 cup water and a little salt added to it and 2 tbsp of dry fruits.Cook it in pressure cooker or in a pan or microwave.

2.Cut all the vegetables into small thin pieces and fry each one of it separately in oil. Fry the green peas also.

3.Take 1 tblsp oil in a pan and add mustard seeds, green chilli, cinnamon and caraway seeds powder, cloves, black pepper powder and stir for about half minute. Then add onions and saute them for a minute ot till they get pink in color.

4.Add salt and red chilli powder and stir.

5.Add fine chopped tomatoes and fry till they are properly cooked.

6.Take the yogurt and make it fine by putting in a blender for just 2 rotations. Add this fine yogurt and stir well.Heat it for about 10 seconds.

7.Add all the fried vegetables.

8.Add the cooked rice and mix well with very light hands so that the rice grain doesn't break. Cook for about 3 minutes.

Add coriander powder, turmeric powder and pepper powder and the mutton pieces, saute for a while and then add lemon juice and diced tomato and allow to cook for about 10 to 12 minutes.

Add the rice and fry for a minute. Add the hot water, salt and mix thoroughly. When it starts to boil, close lid and cook until a whistle. Remove from heat, open the lid of the cooker once the pressure inside has decreased.

Serve hot with raita and salad.

Watch how to make Mutton Biryani:

ALOO BHAJI (SAVOURY FRIED POTATOES)

INGREDIENTS:

500 grams of Potatoes

2 medium Onions

¼ tsp. of Black Mustard Seeds

½ tsp. of Ground Turmeric (Pisi Haldi)

½ tsp. of Red Chilli Powder (Pisi Lal Mirch)

1 tbsp. of Salt

1 tbsp. of Clarified Butter (Ghee)

METHOD:

In a pot boil the potatoes until well done. Let them cool and peel and dice. Peel and finely chop the onions.

Heat the clarified butter in a saucepan and fry the mustard seeds until they pop. Add the onions and continue frying on low heat until the onions are soft and golden brown.

Add the turmeric powder and red chilli powder and stir, then add in the potatoes, sprinkle salt over and toss gently to mix well together.

Wash the brinjals well, cut the stem, leaving the canopy in place and cut ¾ of the length of each brinjal into a criss cross, leaving the attached at the other end.

Heat two tablespoons of oil in a thick and wide pan and add the brinjals. Sprinkle some salt and leave the brinjals to cook until well done and soft.

In the meantime roast the peanuts and sesame seeds. Switch off the flame and fry the coconut powder in the hot pan with the heat off.

Using just enough oil roast coriander, cumin and red chillies.

Pricked to a fork or knife, roast the onions on a low flame with the peel. Allow the roasted onions to cool and remove the peel.

Blend all of the roasted ingredients along with the turmeric powder. Once all of the ingredients are powdered finely, add the peeled onions, ginger and ¼ cup of water and blend again until it turns into a fine thick paste.

Transfer the cooked brinljals to another container leaving the oil behind (if there is any).

In the same pan heat two tablespoons of oil and add the paste, red chilli powder and tamarind extract. Add water if necessary. Add salt and cook until the raw smell of the tamarind is gone. Add the cooked brinjals and cook on a low flame until the oil separates, by continuously stirring them, without breaking the brinjals.

Garnish with the chopped coriander/cilantro leaves before serving.

Serve hot with Plain Rice, Chapati Roti, Nans or Puris .

Watch how to make Baghara Baingan:

ROTI OR CHAPATI (FLAT BREAD)

TOOLS REQUIRED FOR MAKING ROTI:

Cast Iron concave griddle 8-12 inches in diameter called tawaa shallow mixing bowlA rolling pina large plate for dusting the dough while rolling it outtongs for the beginnerwok stand placed over the electric or gas burnera grilling rack which is placed over the wok standa wok for deep frying for Pooris and other fried breads only

MAKING DOUGH FOR FLAT BREAD:

Put flour in a large bowl. Make a well in the middle and pour in a stream of water in the center. Use one hand to mix the flour and water in a rotating motion from the center of the bowl outward, until the dough is moist enough to be gathered into a rough mass.

Wet hands and continue until the mixture cleans the sides of the bowl and has become a nonsticky, kneadable dough. When the dough is kneaded, it will be elastic and silky smooth. To test the dough, press it lightly with a fingertip. If it springs back, it is ready to be rested.

Resting the dough is the last step and allows the dough to relax and absorb the water and kneading. Rest for 1/2 hour in warm climates and 1.5 hours in cold climates. Cover with a wet towel so the dough does not dry out. The rested dough is light and springy, less resistant to being rolled out into the thin rounds.
Refrigerated for convenience. It would make rolling out easier than the freshly made dough.

INGREDIENTS (TO MAKE ABOUT 6 ROTIS):

2.5 cups chappati flour (wheat flour)

1 cup water at room temperature made into a dough

1 cup chappati flour in a large plate for dusting the dough while rolling it out

ghee (oil) for brushing the bread

METHOD TO ROLL OUT THE DOUGH:

Prepare the desired amount of dough from the Basic Dough recipe. After resting for 2-2 1/2 hours, knead well.

Divide the dough into peach-size balls. On a lightly floured surface, flatten one ball of dough with your hand.

Using a rolling-pin, roll out the dough into a thin,round patty, about 5 inches in diameter. Roll from the center, turning patty several times to prevent sticking. Try to make the edges slightly thinner than the center.

As you cook the chappati/roti, one could be rolling out the next, rather than shaping all of the chapatis at one time.

METHOD FOR COOKING ROTI:

Preheat a cast-iron or tawa over medium heat.

Place the rolled dough on the palm of one hand and flip it over on to the tawa. When the color changes on the top and bubbles appear, turn it over. When both sides are done, use kitchen tongs (chimta) to remove the chapati from the skillet.

Gas Stove: If you have a gas stove, hold the cooked chapati over a medium flame and it will puff up immediately. Turn quickly to flame-bake the other side. Do this several times, taking care that the edges are well cooked.

Electric Stove: If you have an electric stove, chapatis can be encouraged to puff by pressing them with a clean kitchen towel after the first turn on each side. Repeat the shaping and cooking process until all chapatis are cooked.

To keep the chapatis warm as they are cooked, place them in a towel-lined bowl and fold over the sides of the towel. Serve hot, either completely dry or topped with a small amount of ghee or butter.

Watch how to make Roti:

NAAN (BREAD)

INGREDIENTS:

4 cups White Flour (Maida)

1/2 tsp Baking powder

1 tsp Salt

1/2 cup Milk

1 tbsp Sugar

1 Egg

4 tbsp Oil

1 tsp Nigella seeds (Kalunji)

METHOD:

Sift the flour, salt and baking powder into a bowl and make a well in the middle.

Mix the sugar, milk, eggs 2tbsp of oil in a bowl.

Pour this into the center of the flour and knead adding water if necessary to form soft dough.

Add the remaining oil, knead again, then cover with damp cloth and allow the dough to stand for 15 minutes. Knead the dough again and cover and leave for 2-3 hours.

About half an before the naan are required, turn on the oven to maximum heat.

Divide the dough into 8 balls and allow rest for 3-4 minutes.

Sprinkle a baking sheet with nigella seeds and put it in the oven to heat while the dough is resting.

Shape each ball of dough with the palms to make an oval shape.

Bake the indian bread naan until puffed up and golden brown. Serve hot.

Watch how to make Naan:

KARHI (YOGHURT DUMPLING)

INGREDIENTS:

½ pound of Plain Yogurt

1 cup Gram Flour (Besan)

1 tsp. Red Chili Powder (Pisi Lal Mirch)

Salt (to taste)

3 Curry Leaves (Karhi Pattay)

3 tbsp. Cooking Oil

1 tsp. Coriander Seeds (Saabut Dhania)

¼ tsp. Tamarind Paste (Imli)

1 tbsp. Green Chillies

1 tbsp. Fresh Cilantro (Hara Dhania)

1 tsp. Cumin Seeds (Saabut Sufaid Zeera)

1 medium Onion

3 cloves of Garlic (Lehsan)

1 (1 inch piece) Ginger (Adrak)

1 cup Gram Flour (Besan)

1 tsp. Red Chili Powder (Pisi Lal Mirch)

1 tsp. Salt

1 tbsp. Fresh Cilantro (Hara Dhania)

1 tbsp. Mint Leaves (Podina)

¼ tsp. Baking Powder

1 small Onion

1 tbsp. Green Chilies

1 tsp. Cumin Seeds (Saabut Sufaid Zeera)

Cooking Oil (for frying dumplings)

METHOD:

Thinly slice the onion. Heat oil in a pot and add the sliced onions to it. Make a paste of the Garlic,Ginger and Green Chillis and add this to the onions. Lightly grind Cumin and Coriander seeds and mix in onions and garlic mixture and cook on medium heat.

Add the Red Chillies, Salt, Curry leaves, and Tamarind Paste and fry for another 5-10 minutes.

Meanwhile, Mix 1 cup of Gram Flour in the plain yogurt and make into a smooth paste by adding small amouts of water at a time. Add this yogurt mixture in onions and mix and cook by constantly mixing. Keep mixing until it starts to come to a boil. Then turn heat level low and leave it to cook slowly until it thickens.

METHOD FOR DUMPLINGS:

Chop onions and mix it with the gram flour and water. Mix into a smooth paste. Lightly ground coriander and cumin seeds with green chillies and them mix this into the gram flour mixture. Add all ingredients in the paste and set aside for half an hour.

Fry Dumplings in a deep frying pan until golden brown and take them out and put them on a paper towel to absorb any access oil.

When karhi becomes thick, add 1 cup of boiling water and let it cook until it starts to boil, when it comes to a boil add dumplings in karhi and then cook on low heat for another 10 minutes. Garnish with coriander leaves.

PHOTO CREDITS...

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